


oddly-shaped vessels for hearts

by dytabytes



Category: Pacific Rim
Genre: Gen, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-22
Updated: 2013-07-22
Packaged: 2017-12-21 01:11:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/894044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dytabytes/pseuds/dytabytes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How they found out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	oddly-shaped vessels for hearts

**Author's Note:**

> This is not an AU unless you want it to be, and then it is.

Tamsin grabs Stacker’s hand before they leave the Drift room, when it’s still just the two of them, murmurs, “I’ll never tell a soul.”

=

“Luna, will you give me a hand with these? Please?”

“With...?” She turns from her closet and sees the clippers offered awkwardly at her, held in hands that drown in the cuffs of a new school uniform. The situation’s not hard to put together.

“Oh. Oh, duh! You’d never get an even buzz trying to do that by yourself!”

And it’s worth it to see her brother’s relieved smile.

=

"I had a nightmare, sensei."

Stacker has gotten so used to Mako’s presence in his life that he lets her crawl into bed with him and doesn’t think anything of the way she draws her hands across his chest until she asks the next morning over her breakfast.

“Sensei, where did those scars come from?”

It’s one of the first times he’s truly hesitated over telling her the honest truth. If he can’t tell her about his past, though, who will he ever? He takes a deep breath.

=

They’re sorting through Stacker’s remaining possessions when Raleigh finds the photo.

“Hey, didn’t you say that the Marshall only had one sister, and she’s dead?”

“Yes, that is correct. That is why he had no other family at his funeral.” Mako looks up from her quiet boxing of her father-figure’s clothing. “Why do you ask?”

“This just fell out of one of the books. ‘S weird because it’s got what looks like two parents and two daughters with no-”

Raleigh yelps when Mako snatches the picture from his hand, hissing, “No one can know about this.”

“About what? What’s so important about a family photo?” Raleigh dances around Mako, trying to grab the picture back. “Did he like wearing dresses as a kid or something?”

“No, he hated it!” Mako snaps at Raleigh, then slaps her hands over her mouth, eyes wide with shame.

“He... what?”

Mako’s whisper barely filters through her fingers. “Sensei was very private about his gender. People would remember him differently if they knew. You can tell no one.”

She grabs Raleigh’s wrist, pleading. “Please, Raleigh! He-”

“Was one of the strongest men I’ve ever known.” Raleigh covers her hand with his own, squeezes her fingers to emphasize his words. “If he had secrets to keep, I’m sure as hell not gonna be the one to let ‘em slip.”

“Good.” Mako slumps, tension immediately draining from her body as she accepts Raleigh’s promise. “That is... Good.”

“We okay now?”

“Yes.” Mako squeezes Raleigh’s wrist. “We are okay.”

=

Stacker can tell the moment Chuck finds out, because amusement jangles through the drift like church bells clattering about on Christmas Day.

"I hope this won’t be a problem, Hansen."

Chuck snorts. “I’m setting out to stop the apocalypse with a bomb strapped to my back and probably little to no chance of coming home alive. Your junk is literally the last thing I care about."

Their eyes meet, and Stacker nods, the barest flicker of a smile crossing his face.

"Right then. Let’s do this."


End file.
